Transformative Education Book Club – Learning that Matters: Chapter 4

Written by Karine Hamm

Once a month, Nathan Hall (Educational Technology and Pedagogy Coordinator) hosts a book club to discuss and apply the content of the book: Learning that matters – a field guide to course design for transformative education by Zehnder, Metzker, Kleine and Alby. The book explores the idea that meaningful learning experiences don’t just happen-they have to be intentionally designed. These well-designed, innovative courses can have a lasting impact on student learning. Since you may not have the time to read the book this semester, or to join the group of inquisitive faculty for book club, I want to present a thing or two that you can try in your course, to design a more inclusive and meaningful learning experience.

As post-secondary faculty, our commitment to fostering diverse and equitable classrooms can be exemplified through the application of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. UDL is an educational framework that promotes the design of flexible and accommodating learning experiences to meet the diverse needs of all students. Creating a learning environment tailored to the most vulnerable individuals, yields benefits for everyone involved. One impactful way to integrate UDL principles into our teaching practices is by re-wording learning outcomes to ensure they are accessible to all learners. Chapter 4 of the book subtly suggests the importance of design on a transformative experience for all.

Pull out your course syllabus and let’s get started in our quest to develop student-centered, higher order, measurable, and inclusive student learning outcomes.

First, take some time to reflect on the outcomes for your course, as currently written, and ask yourself:

1. Are the learning outcomes inclusive and acknowledge the diversity of students?
2. Do the learning outcomes exclusively endorse a single mode of expression?
3. Are there any avoidable obstacles presented in the learning outcomes, such as a dependence on expensive software or a requirement to be completed within a limited timeframe?
4. Do the learning outcomes presume prerequisite knowledge or experiences that are not essential to the discipline or might be unfamiliar to some students?

Let’s start by ensuring that our learning outcomes are inclusive and align with the principles of UDL. When crafting learning outcomes, consider using language that allows learning to be demonstrated in various modes of representation. Acknowledge that students may have different learning preferences and strengths. For example:

Original Outcome:

“Students will write a paper demonstrating their understanding of the neural control of acquired movement.”

Revised UDL-Informed Outcome:

” Students will articulate their understanding of the neural control of acquired movement.”

Replacing ‘write a paper’ with ‘articulate’ allows students to express their knowledge using a variety of format. Beyond fostering motivation, catering to different abilities and offering flexibility, choice can be culturally affirming. Clearing all ambiguities in a learning outcome is also essential to respecting your students’ various cultural backgrounds. For example,

Original Outcome:

“Students will maintain professionalism during clinical placements”

Keeping in mind that the instructor may have a mental image of what “professionalism” means but students from different backgrounds may interpret ‘professionalism’ in different ways. Consider making the outcome more inclusive by making explicit the definition of “professionalism”.

Revised UDL-Informed Outcome:

“Students will adhere to the British Columbia Association of Kinesiologists Professional Guidelines by following safe clinical practices; maintaining high standards of honesty, integrity, and ethics; charting work using documents provided”.

We hear so often of students memorizing through cramming techniques, writing the exam and then quickly forgetting all that was ‘learnt’. For a truly transformative experience, we have to move beyond lower order (list, recall, identify) learning outcomes and move to higher order thinking (predict, analyze, evaluate). Go back to your learning outcomes, how are you asking your students to demonstrate learning and where do these fall on Bloom’s taxonomy?

Original Outcome:

“Students will identify the enzymes involved in the process of digestion.”

Revised Outcome:

“Students will predict outcomes when certain enzymes are released to assist in the breakdown of food.”

Consider changing the action to move your learning outcome from foundational learning to application.

Lastly, make sure you add a learning outcome for a skill that students can take from your class into the next. Portable outcomes are the broad skills that we hope students gain while working with us and they include: teamwork, creative thinking, ethical decision-making.

Sample Outcome for Communication:

“Students will effectively communicate nutrition-related advice for a wide variety of purposes and audiences.”

The take-home message is to evaluate your learning outcomes and ensure that they are student-centered (start with ‘students will’..), measurable, inclusive, higher order where possible and that you include at least one portable outcome that students can take with them beyond graduation.

The re-wording of learning outcomes is a powerful step towards fostering a transformative learning experience and a more inclusive and accessible learning environment. By recognizing and embracing the diversity of our students, we not only enhance the educational experience for all but also contribute to the development of a more equitable society. Let’s champion UDL in our teaching practices and continue to evolve as educators dedicated to the success of every learner in our classrooms.  Next month, we examine the design of congruent and connected assessments.